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NDP government likely to scrap plans for a 10-lane bridge to replace the Massey Tunnel

VANCOUVER—Plans to build a 10-lane, $3.5-billion bridge to replace the Massey Tunnel are likely dead in the water.

Claire Trevena, B.C.’s minister of transportation, said that a technical review showed a 10-lane bridge plan was “flawed from the start.”

The province has scrapped plans to replace the George Massey Tunnel with a 10-lane bridge. Instead, the B.C. government will consider either a smaller bridge or replacement tunnel. (B.C. Ministry of Transportation)

The review suggests that a smaller six- or eight-lane bridge, or a new tunnel that can accommodate more traffic than the current tunnel, would be a better option for Metro Vancouver. Trevena said the review, by engineering firm Westmar Advisors, shows the original decision-making process was flawed because it failed to take into account “community, regional and national objectives, community liveability and cost.”

Former Premier Christy Clark announced the new bridge in 2013, but it failed to win support from many of the mayors in the Metro Vancouver region.

Malcolm Brodie, the mayor of Richmond, said the 10-lane bridge would have dumped traffic into Richmond’s streets network and would have spurred more development on the south side of the Fraser, leading to yet more traffic.

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“It was truly Los Angeles-sized and a Los Angeles approach to freeways, rather than an appropriate reaction to the challenges of transportation that are in front of us,” Brodie said.

Trevena said the province will now embark on another round of consultations with municipalities and First Nations and plans to have a business plan ready by 2020.

B.C. Liberal MLA Jas Johal said the decision will put the much-needed crossing back by five to 10 years, while commuters who need help now continue to sit in traffic.

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“I have over 14,000 businesses in Richmond who have difficulty in retaining and hiring employees because of that traffic bottleneck at the Massey Tunnel,” said Johal, who represents Richmond-Queensborough.

Johal said $100 million has already been spent on the project from “government sunk cost, hydro prep work and payout to bidding teams to cover their expenses.”

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says only $50 million has been spent on “two construction projects … property acquisition and project management and engineering.”

Ian Paton, a B.C. Liberal MLA who represents Delta South, said it isn’t only commuters who are affected but trucking traffic trying to get through to ports and ferries to Vancouver Island. He noted that government has agreed to fund a subway through Vancouver’s Broadway Corridor but said the 10-lane bridge connecting suburban communities should take precedence over that urban project.

Westmar Advisors said the 10-lane bridge would fully achieve one objective: it would completely eliminate traffic congestion until 2045. But a small bridge or new tunnel would also be effective in handling most of the traffic while fitting in with regional plans, though there would still be some congestion at rush hour with those alternative options.

To immediately alleviate some of the congestion concerns, the province plans to spend $40 million on improvements to Highway 99 between Steveston Highway and the Highway 17 Interchange and on better lighting and drainage for the tunnel itself.

Jen St. Denis is a Vancouver-based reporter covering affordability and city hall. Follow her on Twitter: @jenstden

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